In each of the last two NFL seasons, players from the same team hoisted both the Offensive and Defensive Rookie of the Year trophies.
QB C.J. Stroud and EDGE Will Anderson Jr. took home the awards for the Houston Texans in 2023, while WR Garrett Wilson and CB Sauce Gardner were 2022 winners for the New York Jets.
The only other time one club had dual rookie award winners? The New Orleans Saints in 2017, when RB Alvin Kamara and CB Marshon Lattimore earned end-of-season plaudits.
What about 2024? Do any teams have enough promising prospects on both sides of the ball to follow in Houston, New York, and New Orleans’ footsteps?
Which NFL Team Could Boast OROY and DROY in 2024?
14) Miami Dolphins
Candidates: EDGE Chop Robinson, RB Jaylen Wright
Dolphins pass rushers Jaelan Phillips and Bradley Chubb are recovering from season-ending injuries, so Robinson could see more work than expected while those veterans work their way back into form early in the year. Wright probably won’t become a factor unless De’Von Achane or Raheem Mostert suffer an injury, but both RBs have medical question marks.
13) Philadelphia Eagles
Candidates: RB Will Shipley, CB Quinyon Mitchell, CB Cooper DeJean
Cornerbacks don’t win as many DROY awards as edge rushers, but it does happen: Gardner, Lattimore, and Marcus Peters each picked up trophies over the past decade.
Mitchell and DeJean could see ample playing time in the Eagles’ rebuilt secondary. Meanwhile, Shipley only has to beat out Kenneth Gainwell to become Saquon Barkley’s primary backup. That would put him one injury away from handling a heavy workload behind the NFL’s best offensive line.
12) Jacksonville Jaguars
Candidates: WR Brian Thomas Jr., DT Maason Smith, CB Jarrian Jones
While Thomas should have ample opportunities to become Trevor Lawrence’s WR1, he was viewed as something of a developmental prospect heading into the 2024 NFL Draft. The LSU product will have to fight Christian Kirk, Gabe Davis, and Evan Engram for targets during his rookie season.
It’s been 10 years since a defensive tackle (Aaron Donald) won DROY, and Smith is stuck behind Arik Armstead and others on Jacksonville’s DT depth chart. Jones, the club’s third-round pick, could have a better shot at an award if he earns the Jags’ starting slot CB job.
11) Denver Broncos
Candidates: QB Bo Nix, EDGE Jonah Elliss
Nix remains the favorite to win Denver’s starting QB job over Zach Wilson and Jarrett Stidham. There’s a chance he puts up a solid rookie stat line while working in Sean Payton’s system and playing behind a solid offensive line.
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Still, Nix doesn’t have many viable weapons beyond WR Courtland Sutton. Even if Nix thrives, the Broncos will count on Elliss, a third-rounder relatively buried on the club’s depth chart, to boast two rookie award winners.
10) New York Giants
Candidates: WR Malik Nabers, CB Andru Phillips, S Tyler Nubin
Nabers has little target competition in New York and should dominate targets from Daniel Jones from the jump. Darius Slayton, Wan’Dale Robinson, Jalin Hyatt, and others will receive their share of looks, but Nabers will be the Giants’ alpha.
However, Phillips isn’t in line to start in Week 1, while no safety has won DROY since Mark Carrier in 1988.
9) Chicago Bears
Candidates: QB Caleb Williams, WR Rome Odunze, EDGE Austin Booker
The odds-on favorite to win Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2024, Williams (+135) is surrounded by the best set of weapons for any QB drafted first overall in recent memory. DJ Moore, Keenan Allen, Odunze, D’Andre Swift, and Cole Kmet should be more than enough for Williams to post impressive production in Year 1 — and potentially even guide Chicago to the playoffs.
Odunze could post a dominant rookie season, but that would almost certainly mean that Williams was outstanding, too. In that case, votes would go to the quarterback over the receiver.
The only problem here? The Bears only selected one defensive player and waited until Round 5 to do so. Unless Booker surprisingly manages double-digit sacks as a rookie, Chicago doesn’t have a shot at DROY.
8) Buffalo Bills
Candidates: WR Keon Coleman, S Cole Bishop
Buffalo’s WR competition looks like one of the NFL’s most interesting 2024 training camp battles, and Coleman is right in the mix. Curtis Samuel and Khalil Shakir have primarily been slot receivers at the NFL level, but at least one will need to spend more time on the perimeter for the Bills. Coleman mainly played on the outside at Florida State, but draft analysts pegged him as a “big slot” candidate.
As noted, safeties have a hard time entering the DROY conversation. Bishop would probably need insane individual production and a dominant performance by Buffalo’s decent to stand a chance.
7) San Francisco 49ers
Candidates: WR Ricky Pearsall, CB Renardo Green
Pearsall is the 49ers’ WR4. He’d need Brandon Aiyuk’s impending holdout or an injury to become relevant in 2024. Still, if Pearsall got onto the field, he’d be catching passes inside the NFL’s most efficient offensive scheme.
Green has an even better chance of rookie-year playing time. While San Francisco already has Charvarius Ward and Deommodore Lenoir locked in as CB starters, Green could beat out veteran Isaac Yiadom for a role in nickel packages.
6) Los Angeles Rams
Candidates: RB Blake Corum, EDGE Jared Verse, DT Braden Fiske
Aaron Donald is gone, so the Rams are searching for young defenders to step up around DT Kobie Turner, who finished third in DROY voting last season. Verse and Fiske, teammates at Florida State, should receive plenty of snaps and pass-rushing opportunities in 2023.
Corum should be Kyren Williams’ direct backup by default. Williams missed time with a high-ankle sprain last year and was also injured in 2022. If he’s bitten by the injury bug again, Corum could be an RB1 and Offensive Rookie of the Year candidate in Sean McVay’s elite rushing attack.
5) Los Angeles Chargers
Candidates: WR Ladd McConkey, LB Junior Colson
McConkey has a chance to earn more targets than any rookie wideout in 2024, if only because his competition is so weak. Josh Palmer, DJ Chark, and 2023 first-round bust Quentin Johnston could steal some looks, but McConkey profiles as Justin Herbert’s favorite weapon.
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Colson follows Jim Harbaugh from Michigan, and his shared experience with L.A.’s new head coach should give him a solid chance at starting in Week 1. If the Bolts’ defense surprises and Colson is viewed as a young leader, he could be a narrative-based DROY pick.
4) Indianapolis Colts
Candidates: WR Adonai Mitchell, EDGE Laiatu Latu
We’ve outlined the cases for 10 NFL teams to feature Offensive and Defensive Rookies of the Year in 2024. But if a club actually manages the feat next season, our guess is it’s one of the four squads at the top of our list.
Latu should have every opportunity to rush the passer this year. While he might start behind Kwity Paye and Samson Ebukam on Indy’s EDGE depth chart, Latu is the most physically talented defensive end on the roster. Gus Bradley will want the UCLA product on the field early and often, and Latu could flirt with 10 sacks in Year 1.
Mitchell also faces competition but should be able to beat out Alec Pierce for playing time. Although Mitchell is viewed as a raw prospect, his penchant for big plays and vertical shots could make him a perfect fit with Colts QB Anthony Richardson.
3) Washington Commanders
Candidates: QB Jayden Daniels, DT Johnny Newton, CB Mike Sainristil
Daniels has the second-best OROY odds (+550) behind Williams. The Commanders’ new QB has interesting weapons in RBs Brian Robinson Jr. and Austin Ekeler and WRs Terry McLaurin and Jahan Dotson, but Washington’s OL is beyond suspect. Daniels’ rushing ability gives him a high floor.
Newton’s injury issues could keep him off the field earlier in the season, but Sainristil is already locked in as the Commanders’ starting slot CB. He had a knack for making game-changing plays at Michigan and should bring his tenacious style of play to the NFL.
2) Arizona Cardinals
Candidates: WR Marvin Harrison Jr., RB Trey Benson, EDGE Darius Robinson, CB Max Melton
The Cardinals had seven top-100 selections in the 2024 NFL Draft, so it’s perhaps no surprise that they were able to land both high-end talent and volume. Harrison has better OROY odds (+650) than any other non-quarterback. Wide receivers picked in the top 10 have had an extremely high hit rate in recent years, and Harrison could dominate immediately.
Benson could steal carries from RB James Conner and take over as an RB1 if the veteran went down, while Arizona has multiple DROY candidates, too. Robinson might already be the club’s best edge rusher, while Melton should be a Week 1 starter.
1) Minnesota Vikings
Candidates: QB J.J. McCarthy, EDGE Dallas Turner
Quarterbacks and pass rushers. Those two positions are typically the favorites for Offensive and Defensive Rookie of the Year awards — and the Vikings grabbed players at both spots in Round 1.
Minnesota is leaning toward deploying veteran quarterback Sam Darnold to begin the 2024 season, but McCarthy could have an opening early in the year. Minnesota has a Week 6 bye after what could be a nightmare revenge game for Darnold against the vaunted Jets defense. If the Vikings are 1-4 by that point, Kevin O’Connell could turn the reins over to McCarthy.
While Justin Jefferson missed seven games with a hamstring injury in 2023, he’s still the best receiver in the league. TE T.J. Hockenson (ACL, MCL) might not be ready for the start of the season, but Jordan Addison put up 911 yards in his rookie campaign, and Aaron Jones should add more juice to Minnesota’s rushing attack.
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Add an underrated offensive line and O’Connell’s creative, QB-friendly scheme, and McCarthy could succeed early.
On the other side of the ball, Turner has the NFL’s best DROY odds at +350. He’ll work in a pass-rushing rotation with free-agent additions Jonathan Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel, but Turner should have a chance to shine. Vikings DC Brian Flores is chomping at the bit to use the Alabama product in all sorts of innovative ways.
Finding another team to match the Texans’ Stroud/Anderson or the Jets’ Wilson/Gardner dual award wins won’t be easy. But if any club can do it, our money is on the Vikings.
